About
Working mainly on the potter’s wheel, Isatu makes work that is intended for or rooted in use. Her inspirations draw heavily on pre-industrial craft from around the world. Her training was that of a ‘studio potter’ making oil-fired reduction stoneware that took heavy influence from Chinese and Medieval European ceramics. Her interest and experience in all of these themes have been informing her work as she develops her skills as a potter, gradually forging a personal aesthetic that seeks to offer a rich but gentle addition to our natural environment. She currently works with both stoneware and earthenware clay bodies, firing in both electric and gas kilns.
“I am interested in finding visual balance and elegance in the tension between strength and relaxation. I aim to make pots that are quiet but have poise and presence.”
Funding
Churchill Scholarship Trust 2019 (travel deferred to 2024) _ Funded to undertake research into West African pottery techniques and history
Adopt a Potter 2015 _ Funding towards further apprenticeship with Andrew Crouch, potter.
Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust / Heritage Crafts foundation 2014 _ funding towards apprenticeship with Andrew Crouch, potter.
Ferdynand Zweig Scholarship Falmouth University _ funded travel to Athens and Crete to research Minoan ceramics